The People v O.J. Simpson

Sarah Paulson Is Bringing the Real-Life Marcia Clark to the Emmys

Left, by Desiree Navarro/WireImage; Right, by Frederick M. Brown, both from Getty Images.

Ryan Murphy and the cast of *The People v O.J. Simpson *accomplished a lot in 10 episodes—as evidenced by a healthy stack of Emmy nominations—but the show’s biggest accomplishment was probably the public redemption of Marcia Clark. Throughout the series, Sarah Paulson’s empathetic depiction of the controversial prosecutor drove home a simple message: that she was and is a human being, complete with virtues and flaws just like anyone else. It was a stellar performance—one that rightfully earned Paulson an Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actress in a limited series or a movie. And now, with the ceremony little more than a week away, the story has taken another lovely turn: Clark will attend the show as Paulson’s plus one.

On Thursday, Access Hollywood confirmed that Clark had accepted Paulson’s invitation, saying, “I was incredibly honored that Sarah asked me to go with her to the Emmys, and it will be my privilege to be there to cheer her on.”

The People v O.J. Simpson, the first installment in Murphy’s American Crime Story anthology series, captured many of the fascinating social undercurrents within the narrative of O.J. Simpson’s murder trial. And one of the most fascinating—and at times heartrending—threads was the way Marcia Clark was treated throughout the trial. The press mercilessly belittled her clothing and hair, and defense attorney Johnnie Cochran even called her “hysterical.” Given that, it’s easy to see why Clark would want to show up to support her on-screen avatar—the successful attempt to redeem her was not only revolutionary, but also cathartic.

Many regard Paulson as a lock to take home the gold statuette: the limited-series race is crowded this cycle with plenty of strong contenders, including Kirsten Dunst in Fargo, but this is the fifth year in a row that Paulson has received a nomination. (Four of those nominations come from Murphy’s other anthology series, American Horror Story.) That, combined with the buzzy way her performance completely rehabbed Clark’s image, will make her pretty tough to beat come next Sunday. Win or lose, though, the real Clark will be by her side.